On Sunday morning, Ethan Grunkemeyer was far from a household name in State College. By Monday morning, he may just be one of Penn State football’s most important players.

After backup quarterback Beau Pribula announced he will enter the transfer portal ahead of Penn State’s first-round College Football Playoff game against SMU, Grunkemeyer seems primed to take Pribula’s spot as the Nittany Lions’ No. 2 option at quarterback.

As Grunkemeyer prepares to back up Drew Allar in a high-profile affair, let’s learn a little bit about the 6’2″, 200-pound gunslinger from Ohio.

A true freshman, Grunkemeyer came to Penn State from Lewis Center, Ohio, where he played quarterback at Olentangy High School. He wasn’t a highly-touted prospect when he initially committed to Penn State as a three-star recruit the summer before his senior year, but Grunkemeyer was a fast-rising stud who quickly gained national prominence soon after.

An impressive showing at the Elite 11 camps, a series of summer competitions for high school quarterbacks, pushed Grunkemeyer onto the scene. While he was still relatively under the radar, Grunkemeyer competed with the top quarterbacks in his class, like Julian Sayin, Dylan Raiola, Air Noland, and more.

Grunkemeyer went back to high school for one more year and broke several Olentangy school records. He finished his time in high school with 8,401 career passing yards, 80 career passing touchdowns, 3,517 season passing yards his senior year, and 39 season passing touchdowns his senior year, all of which were school bests.

Grunkemeyer grew up in an Ohio State household, though he said he leaned more toward general college football fandom against his Buckeye roots as he explored options for college football. Like Drew Allar, Grunkemeyer grew up close to Columbus, Ohio. Medina, Allar’s high school, and Olentangy regularly play each other, and Medina’s athletic director reportedly said Grunkemeyer looked like the better high school prospect during his senior year.

Grunkemeyer graduated from high school early and enrolled at Penn State in the spring semester of 2024. He finished his time in high school as a four-star recruit, rated as the No. 7 quarterback in the country and the fifth-best player in Ohio, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Grunkemeyer hasn’t made much noise since arriving on campus other than asserting himself as the No. 3 quarterback in Penn State’s depth chart, especially after Jaxon Smolik picked up a long-term injury in March.

While media members aren’t allowed to talk to true freshmen on Penn State’s roster, James Franklin has mentioned Grunkemeyer’s progress throughout the season. Most notably, Franklin said he wanted Grunkemeyer “ready” ahead of the Ohio State bout after Allar picked up an injury.

Grunkemeyer never saw playing time against Ohio State, and he hasn’t registered any snaps this season. The only time Grunkemeyer’s taken snaps in front of fans was at the 2024 Blue-White Game when he completed four of eight pass attempts for 11 yards and an interception for the Blue Team.

Grunkemeyer doesn’t exactly spark confidence in Penn State fans with a lack of experience, but it’s unlikely that his number will be called on Saturday, December 21, against SMU. Barring disaster against Allar, Grunkemeyer should sit this one out, save for maybe a couple of snaps in case of a blowout.